Daffodils
by the-kings-tail-fin
Summary: Strip isn't super creative when it comes to romantic gestures, but for Lynda, he tries.


Springtime in early March was always one of the most pleasant times of the year. The air was still crisp, but not cold, but neither was it too warm to enjoy the outdoors. The greenery had started to return to the trees and shrubs, and the flowers were blooming.

Late one Friday evening, they were sitting together, parked in their special little meadow overlooking the mountainside. It was beautiful. The entire countryside seemed to spring to life before their eyes as they sat among several vibrant patches of daffodils.

Lynda sighed and leaned against him, knowing that their time together was growing to a close. They'd been together nearly all week, doing this and that, enjoying each other's company more than anything else. She knew it had to end sooner or later, but it was never easy saying goodbye, no matter how temporary.

"I wish you didn't have to go." she said, giving him an affectionate little nudge.

"Yeah." he leaned back against her and smiled. "I wish you didn't have to work this weekend. Then I could take you with me."

Strip knew it was time to go. He'd told his hauler to meet him back in town at sundown, and sundown was already a thing of the past. It was just so hard to move when everything was already perfect.

She closed her eyes, taking a moment to appreciate and experience these last few seconds with him to the fullest. The wind was rustling the trees around them, and the grass was swaying beneath them. But more than all that combined, she felt him beside her, warm and steady. In the year they'd been seeing each other, he quickly become her rock, her anchor.

He looked over at her, not wanting to be the first to make a move to leave. She seemed so at peace. No matter how much the racetrack called to him and pulled him away, he'd always come back to this. If someone had asked him a year ago if he'd ever love anything more than racing, he would have laughed. Now he didn't know if he could even enjoy the sport without her there beside him.

"Alright." she gathered herself after a few more moments and pulled away a little. "Come on. This isn't going to get easier if we wait."

They took their last moment of solitude for one last meaningful kiss before heading back to town. He accompanied her back to her home, as was his custom before going to find his hauler.

As he left her on her front porch, he had an idea, and thought about it as he drove back into town. It was such a cheesy, mushy idea it almost pained him to think that yes, he'd come up with it all on his own. But dang it, he was going to do it.

"I was about to go searching for you." the semi greeted Strip as he drove into the gas station where his trailer was parked. "I thought you said sundown?"

"I did." Strip answered shortly. "Hey listen, I'm gonna need to run a few errands before we leave town. It'll be quick, I promise."

"It better be. This girl's got you running late to everything these days. You need to get practice time in on the track, pronto."

"I know, I know."

Lynda was, for the moment, alone at home. Her parents were off either working or socializing, and her siblings were doing much the same. She went into the room she shared with her closest sister and pulled out a box of written letters Strip had sent her while he was out on the road. Rereading them always made it seem like he was not so far away.

Several minutes later, she heard the doorbell ring. She stuffed the letters back into the box and shoved it back into its hiding place before going to answer it. Always one to be careful, she glanced out the front window before opening the door to see if she could see who it was. Strangely, there didn't seem to be anyone around.

As the opened the door, she heard the roar of a diesel engine from down the street. There, just beginning to pull away, was that big blue Dinoco trailer that pronounced Strip's presence to the world wherever he went. The sight of it alone made her smile. What was he doing back here?

Then she looked down. There, sitting before the door, was quite possibly the most haphazardly thrown together bouquet of flowers she'd ever seen, if one could even call it that. It consisted of a crystal drinking glass, emblazoned with the Dinoco logo (as that was clearly all he had), half full of water with two daffodils in it cut to drastically different lengths. Sitting under it was a note, partially soaked with a water ring that had collected at the bottom of the glass. She moved the makeshift vase to the side in order to read it.

 _I'll be back before they wilt. -S_

The hilarity of the presentation of the piece was intensified by the sentiment in the note. She laughed, unaware he was capable of coherently forming this sort of 'romantic' gesture. He was a gentlecar, sure, but creative? Not so much. This was an absolute treasure. Just when she thought she couldn't grow fonder of him, he had to go and do something like this.

She took the bouquet back inside and set it in the windowsill in her room, propping the note card up next to it so that it'd dry out. She sat there and looked at the piece for quite a while, trying to picture him putting it together. It was impossible to do so and not smile.


End file.
